Cheers!
Friday, May 31, 2013
New pots at Schaller
I have a bunch of new work over at Schaller Gallery. I feel really good about these pots. I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere with them. Here are a couple pots that I'm particularly happy with. Check them out!
Cheers!
Cheers!
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Firing Schedule
I posted on facebook awhile back and referenced a new firing schedule and some folks have asked about it. Given that I am sick and have nothing to do I thought I'd go ahead and write about that.
This last firing was a very good one. I've been tweaking my firing schedule to find a way to fire quickly but also keep my glazes from blistering. Blistering has been the bane of my existence for the last couple years but I finally have it worked out. I'm a believer in fast firing, for economic reasons. Save fuel, save time, save money, make more pots.
I learned to fire gas kilns in college...my professor would start the kiln in the morning when he arrived and be finished by the time he went home at 5. 8 hour firings were the norm and I just always took for granted that everyone fired that way. I was baffled(and still am) when I hear that people fire gas kilns for 20+ hours. My thought is that you're either wasting gas or you kiln isn't set up right(or you have a hardbrick beast). Of course there would be exceptions to this, some glazes need different schedules. My ash glazes need a soak or slow climb at the end. I fire our reduction kiln at the school in a similar fashion, I hit cone 012 in about 3.5 hours, cone 10 in about 9 hours altogether.
Many people think that the pots will crack when fired so "quickly". Industry fires bathroom tiles in as little as 45 minutes from raw. Raku. Need I say more? At this point hopefully we all know that color comes in the cooling so all you need to do is hit your atmosphere and let your glazes melt, the cooling will do the rest.
Now, when it comes to woodfiring I have a theory/personal belief. Fire short or fire long. I fire for flame, not ash, time is not required. There is nothing nice about 2 day firings. Long enough to get enough ash to cover the flame work, not enough time to let the ash do its thing. So less than 18 or more than 48. Just my theory. (example: bandana pottery, 300 cu ft kiln, pots raw glazed and single fired in 16 hours).
The best firing I've ever had was done in 6 hours. The ash glazes I use nowadays can't handle that, they do need a longer firing to settle out otherwise I'll have a sea of blisters. When I was firing slips I could go faster, after all...the slips don't need to melt, I just needed temp for vitrification and atmosphere for color. My kiln is approximately 75 cu ft, holds around 200 pots. I currently fire in about 8 hours. I fire to cone 9.5. Which means I have close to 11 at the fire box and 9 at the flu. I let the kiln cool for about 36 hours.
I bisque all my work, it knocks several hours off the firing and also time spent gathering and prepping extra firewood. I used to be an advocate for raw glazing (well, I still am but...) if you have access to an electric kiln it just makes sense for wood firing to bisque and save the time. I've done 24 wood firings without having to worry about single firing, knocking off 5 hours per firing that's 120 hours. I certainly didn't spend 120 hours loading and firing bisque kilns, definitely a more efficient use of my time. This is what works for ME and my kiln.
I don't track the temp per hour but here is the basic idea:
I have cones in 4 spots, top and bottom on both sides(cones 07,05,03,01 1,3,5 7,8,9,10):
Hit cone 07 at 3:45-4 hours.
Cone 3 at 5-5:15 hours- at this point I make adjustments to even out the kiln if necessary. I want all cone 5's to fall together.
Once cone 7 begins to fall I pull the passive dampers to slow the draft of the kiln, I want about 2 hours from cone 7-9.5.
I salt once all 7's are down, about 1# per salting, every other stoke, total 7-8#'s. I want to be done salting before 9 is flat.
I shut it down when the tip of 10 is horizontal, I call this "cone 9.5".
One of the most critical aspects of this schedule is the beginning because in a wood kiln it is very easy to over stoke and put it into reduction. I fire with the dampers wide open and the passive dampers shut, this ensures maximum airflow through the firebox. I also have plenty of holes for air at the firebox. I've seen a number of kilns similar to mine that don't have near enough ports for air in the firebox, this equates to longer firings and/or too much reduction.
Here are a couple pots from the last fring.
Questions? Comments? Slander? Let me know!
Cheers!
This last firing was a very good one. I've been tweaking my firing schedule to find a way to fire quickly but also keep my glazes from blistering. Blistering has been the bane of my existence for the last couple years but I finally have it worked out. I'm a believer in fast firing, for economic reasons. Save fuel, save time, save money, make more pots.
I learned to fire gas kilns in college...my professor would start the kiln in the morning when he arrived and be finished by the time he went home at 5. 8 hour firings were the norm and I just always took for granted that everyone fired that way. I was baffled(and still am) when I hear that people fire gas kilns for 20+ hours. My thought is that you're either wasting gas or you kiln isn't set up right(or you have a hardbrick beast). Of course there would be exceptions to this, some glazes need different schedules. My ash glazes need a soak or slow climb at the end. I fire our reduction kiln at the school in a similar fashion, I hit cone 012 in about 3.5 hours, cone 10 in about 9 hours altogether.
Many people think that the pots will crack when fired so "quickly". Industry fires bathroom tiles in as little as 45 minutes from raw. Raku. Need I say more? At this point hopefully we all know that color comes in the cooling so all you need to do is hit your atmosphere and let your glazes melt, the cooling will do the rest.
Now, when it comes to woodfiring I have a theory/personal belief. Fire short or fire long. I fire for flame, not ash, time is not required. There is nothing nice about 2 day firings. Long enough to get enough ash to cover the flame work, not enough time to let the ash do its thing. So less than 18 or more than 48. Just my theory. (example: bandana pottery, 300 cu ft kiln, pots raw glazed and single fired in 16 hours).
The best firing I've ever had was done in 6 hours. The ash glazes I use nowadays can't handle that, they do need a longer firing to settle out otherwise I'll have a sea of blisters. When I was firing slips I could go faster, after all...the slips don't need to melt, I just needed temp for vitrification and atmosphere for color. My kiln is approximately 75 cu ft, holds around 200 pots. I currently fire in about 8 hours. I fire to cone 9.5. Which means I have close to 11 at the fire box and 9 at the flu. I let the kiln cool for about 36 hours.
I bisque all my work, it knocks several hours off the firing and also time spent gathering and prepping extra firewood. I used to be an advocate for raw glazing (well, I still am but...) if you have access to an electric kiln it just makes sense for wood firing to bisque and save the time. I've done 24 wood firings without having to worry about single firing, knocking off 5 hours per firing that's 120 hours. I certainly didn't spend 120 hours loading and firing bisque kilns, definitely a more efficient use of my time. This is what works for ME and my kiln.
I don't track the temp per hour but here is the basic idea:
I have cones in 4 spots, top and bottom on both sides(cones 07,05,03,01 1,3,5 7,8,9,10):
Hit cone 07 at 3:45-4 hours.
Cone 3 at 5-5:15 hours- at this point I make adjustments to even out the kiln if necessary. I want all cone 5's to fall together.
Once cone 7 begins to fall I pull the passive dampers to slow the draft of the kiln, I want about 2 hours from cone 7-9.5.
I salt once all 7's are down, about 1# per salting, every other stoke, total 7-8#'s. I want to be done salting before 9 is flat.
I shut it down when the tip of 10 is horizontal, I call this "cone 9.5".
One of the most critical aspects of this schedule is the beginning because in a wood kiln it is very easy to over stoke and put it into reduction. I fire with the dampers wide open and the passive dampers shut, this ensures maximum airflow through the firebox. I also have plenty of holes for air at the firebox. I've seen a number of kilns similar to mine that don't have near enough ports for air in the firebox, this equates to longer firings and/or too much reduction.
Here are a couple pots from the last fring.
Questions? Comments? Slander? Let me know!
Cheers!
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Home
I made it home from Minnesota last Tuesday. It was a harrowing journey through snow and rain until I hit Oklahoma. I'm sad to say that the show was a bust. I talked to a number of other potters at the show and I did much better than most, a rarity for me! But still not even close to what I needed. I'm in the hole quite a bit for the year, it's a difficult thing to talk about but that's the reality of the situation. I'd like my blog to represent the ups and downs of the lifestyle. I've never had a year like this, I've wracked my brain constantly trying to find a solution but I got nothin. We just have to hope that this is the low end of the slump and we'll start working our way out.
I was hell bent on getting out of town ASAP after the show but when I woke up Monday morning I knew that I'd kick myself if I didn't drop in on a couple people. I headed out to Guillermo Cuellar's on Monday morning(no photos). We had a good long talk and they invited me to stay for lunch, it was a good visit. From there I headed to Linda Christianson's place. Linda was in the midst of getting her kiln loaded in upper 20's weather. That gal is as tough as they come. There is also not a nicer person in existence. We spent far too much time talking about kilns and such, I left with a few pots and a nice big jar of homemade maple syrup. Needless to say stopping in to see them raised my spirits and helped me get my focus back.
Me and the LC.
In other news I had a little mishap last week at school. I tilted back a barrel of dry mix and popped my head in to see how much was left and it all shifted and poofed up in my face, I guess this was just a freak thing. I didn't think much about it, it's happened before, no big deal. Friday I felt really ill, kinda fluish. Saturday and Sunday I was bed ridden with a cough, nasty fever, and crazy muscle aches. A trip to the doc on Monday and she confirmed that I got myself a case of pneumonia from dust exposure, commonly called chemical pneumonia, the good part is that there is nothing contagious about it. Seeing an x-ray with all that crap in your lungs...man, shit gets real. I always wear a respirator when I mix clay or glazes but there are times that I'm a bit cavalier like I'm sure most of us are. I had no idea that pneumonia was a potential threat, and now that I've had it once I'm more likely to contract it again. So I'm just going to have to be more safety conscious than I already am. So this is lesson to me, and hopefully a heads up for you!
Well, back to rest!
Cheers!
I was hell bent on getting out of town ASAP after the show but when I woke up Monday morning I knew that I'd kick myself if I didn't drop in on a couple people. I headed out to Guillermo Cuellar's on Monday morning(no photos). We had a good long talk and they invited me to stay for lunch, it was a good visit. From there I headed to Linda Christianson's place. Linda was in the midst of getting her kiln loaded in upper 20's weather. That gal is as tough as they come. There is also not a nicer person in existence. We spent far too much time talking about kilns and such, I left with a few pots and a nice big jar of homemade maple syrup. Needless to say stopping in to see them raised my spirits and helped me get my focus back.
Me and the LC.
In other news I had a little mishap last week at school. I tilted back a barrel of dry mix and popped my head in to see how much was left and it all shifted and poofed up in my face, I guess this was just a freak thing. I didn't think much about it, it's happened before, no big deal. Friday I felt really ill, kinda fluish. Saturday and Sunday I was bed ridden with a cough, nasty fever, and crazy muscle aches. A trip to the doc on Monday and she confirmed that I got myself a case of pneumonia from dust exposure, commonly called chemical pneumonia, the good part is that there is nothing contagious about it. Seeing an x-ray with all that crap in your lungs...man, shit gets real. I always wear a respirator when I mix clay or glazes but there are times that I'm a bit cavalier like I'm sure most of us are. I had no idea that pneumonia was a potential threat, and now that I've had it once I'm more likely to contract it again. So I'm just going to have to be more safety conscious than I already am. So this is lesson to me, and hopefully a heads up for you!
Well, back to rest!
Cheers!
Friday, April 19, 2013
St. Paul
Today was the first day of the ACC show in St. Paul, the weather was pretty bad but we still had some decent crowds. Here is my booth...I prefer the 15' wide vs 10'. It costs more but I feel it shows better...go big or go home.
The weather reminds me of why I don't live here. For those that may not know, I was born and raised in Hopkins, Minnesota...I have deep Minnesota roots. I've been in Texas for nearly 14 years but MN will always feel like home to me.
If you're in the area come on out and say hello, Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 11-5.
Cheers!
Monday, April 15, 2013
Firing XXI
Firing XXI before & after. It was a good one! I tried a new firing schedule that is an adaptation of my quick firing schedule with the need to soak my ash glazes. Firing time: 7.5 hours. When I get a chance maybe I'll share a bit about my firing theories.
Well, it appears the #1's have it. I will write a post about The Yunomi Standard: the retarded economics of pricing handmade pottery. This is not necessarily a post on how one should price pots(high/low) but rather a look at how one might arrive at a given price but also a look at why some feel that certain pots should command higher prices than other pots given the same amount of work involved. It will be a fun post riddled with humor, frustration, back stabbing, shit talking, and a whole lot of truth.
Cheers!
Well, it appears the #1's have it. I will write a post about The Yunomi Standard: the retarded economics of pricing handmade pottery. This is not necessarily a post on how one should price pots(high/low) but rather a look at how one might arrive at a given price but also a look at why some feel that certain pots should command higher prices than other pots given the same amount of work involved. It will be a fun post riddled with humor, frustration, back stabbing, shit talking, and a whole lot of truth.
Cheers!
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Nerd memes.
This is how I felt at the end of firing XXI.
Still time to vote for the previous post...154 followers and 8 votes?! Let your voices be heard.
Cheers!
Friday, April 12, 2013
Vote now!
I'm just taking a break from loading firing XXI to let you know that I will be in St.Paul, MN this next week for the American Craft Council show, April 19-21. If you're in the area stop by and say hello.
I am attempting to revive the blog. Maybe not posting as often as I did years ago but maybe once a week...or every couple weeks? We shall see. I'm sure I will have a number of photos to post from MN when I get back. I also have a humor oriented cup giveaway in the works. But in the meantime...I have a few posts in the works that are a little more content oriented. The problem I have is a) too many thoughts rolling around in my head and b) not enough time to work those out into a meaningful post. So here is where you come in: VOTE! I have listed 3 options for posts that I have outlined but need to be fleshed out. Left to my own devices these would sit as ideas for eternity. So I leave the choice in your hands. The nominees are:
1. The Yunomi Standard: The retarded economics of pricing handmade pottery.
2. Bringing back the guilds: The relevance of our current educational model with regards to traditional craft and why we should abandon it for a modern adaptation of the traditional apprenticeship.
3. Hoesaling: Working harder to produce more repetitive work with shorter deadlines for less money. And why, aside from ulcers, it can be a good idea...at least for the short term.
Much like our own democratic system you hold the illusion of power! Use it wisely. Leave me a comment with your choice and I will knock out a post in the next 2-4 weeks.
Cheers!
I am attempting to revive the blog. Maybe not posting as often as I did years ago but maybe once a week...or every couple weeks? We shall see. I'm sure I will have a number of photos to post from MN when I get back. I also have a humor oriented cup giveaway in the works. But in the meantime...I have a few posts in the works that are a little more content oriented. The problem I have is a) too many thoughts rolling around in my head and b) not enough time to work those out into a meaningful post. So here is where you come in: VOTE! I have listed 3 options for posts that I have outlined but need to be fleshed out. Left to my own devices these would sit as ideas for eternity. So I leave the choice in your hands. The nominees are:
1. The Yunomi Standard: The retarded economics of pricing handmade pottery.
2. Bringing back the guilds: The relevance of our current educational model with regards to traditional craft and why we should abandon it for a modern adaptation of the traditional apprenticeship.
3. Hoesaling: Working harder to produce more repetitive work with shorter deadlines for less money. And why, aside from ulcers, it can be a good idea...at least for the short term.
Much like our own democratic system you hold the illusion of power! Use it wisely. Leave me a comment with your choice and I will knock out a post in the next 2-4 weeks.
Cheers!
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